One of the great joys of spring is the first appearance of the tree swallows. In my yard, this event almost always occurs in the first week of April; this year was no exception. It was a close call, ...

A male tree swallow gives a good yawn in the early morning light. This photo shows how wide a swallow can open its mouth when trying to capture flying insects. Credit: PHOTO BY BILL DANIELSON One of ...

The late July morning is fairly cool and calm with a forecast of a hot afternoon. It is a pleasant time to walk. Along my usual road route, I pass plenty of wildflowers. Fireweed and milkweed still ...

It’s certainly unscientific to refer to swallows as forming gangs, but the word seems appropriate at this time of year as swallows “gang up,” sometimes in the thousands, ahead of the fall migration.

Summer is swallow season. Spring migration can in some ways seem like a less-dramatic affair than California’s fall migration of ducks and shorebirds, with a relatively subtle arrival of songbirds, ...